Container and cover assembly therefor



Nov. 23, 1965 K. M. ESPEY CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Filed Nov. 4, 1963 FIGURE l ,"nniy FIGURE 2 INVENTOR KERM IT M. ESPEY ATTORNEY FIGURE 3 United States Patent 3,218,666 CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Kermit Maynard Espey, New York, N.Y., assignor to lldiles Laboratories, inc, Elkhart, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Filed Nov. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 321,213 Claims. (Cl. 15517) This invention relates to packaging of medications, cosmetics and the like, and it relates more particularly to novel packaging embodying applicator means for the packaged medication, cosmetic or the like.

Various products on the market today, particularly cosmetics and topical medications, require an applicator for application thereof. For ease and convenience in packaging and use, applicators for such products have heretofore been accommodated in specially designed covers or in auxiliary container means disposed on or within the container or its cover. Such structures have not been adopted extensively for a number of reasons. One important reason is that the prior structures Were too costly. Further, prior art structures were often unsatisfactory in that, either the applicator was not readily accessible, or it was so loosely held that upon removal of the container cover the applicator was likely to fall to the floor and become contaminated.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved package for medications, cosmetics or the like having associated therewith an applicator which is readily accessible for use upon opening of the package.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved package of the aforementioned character wherein means is provided for preventing unwanted displacement of the applicator from its readily accessible packaged position when the container cover is removed, while permitting manual removal of said applicator for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover sub-assembly embodying a cap, an applicator and a protective seal, which cover assembly can be applied as a unit to a container.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of the cover subassembly of the improved package as it appears prior to application to a container;

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the improved package with the cover sub-assembly in place and ready for shipment to the consumer; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the improved package as it appears immediately after removal of the cap from the container.

The cover sub-assembly shown in FIG. 1 comprises a cup-shaped cover 2, a sheet material sealing disc 3, and a generally coaxial applicator disc 4 removably attached to the sheet material disc in laminate relation, for example by a centrally disposed spot of adhesive material 5. The applicator disc 4 is positioned between the disc 3 and the transverse wall portion 9 of the cover. The diameter of the disc 3 is slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the inwardly projecting threads 7 forming inner surface portions of the tubular side wall 8 of the cover 2. The disc 3 thus engages the threads 7 with sufficient friction to retain both the disc 3' and the applicator disc 4 within the cover 2 as shown in FIGURE 1. The applicator disc 4 has a diameter slightly smaller than the minimum diameter of the threads 7, and thus fits loosely within the cover.

The aforementioned cover sub-assembly is assembled as a unit that can be conveniently applied to a product container by any of various conventional capping machines. So far as I am aware, the prior art does not contemplate a cover sub-assembly including an applicator and a protective seal within a container cover, which subassembly can be applied to a product container as a unit.

FIG. 2 illustrates the improved package of this invention ready for shipment to the consumer. The package comprises a container 1 which may contain a product 6 in the form of a medication, cosmetic or the like. After filling of the container 1, a conventional adhesive, such as a latex glue, is applied by conventional equipment to the annular lip 10 at the mouth of the container. The cover sub-assembly depicted in FIG. 1 is then applied to the container, and as the cover is threaded onto the externally threaded mouth of the container the periphery of sheet material sealing disc 3 contacts the annular lip 10 and is sealingly adhered thereto by the adhesive previously applied to said lip. The sheet material disc 3 is formed of conventional moisture-impermeable material such as a plastic-coated paper, plastic film, and/or metal foil, and it sealingly closes the container preventing exposure of the packaged product to air, moisture, or other contamination. When the parts of the improved package are as shown in FIGURE 2, the applicator disc 4 is sandwiched snugly between the sealing disc 3 and the transverse wall portion 9 of the cover 2.

FIG. 3 depicts the improved package as it appears after the cover 2 has been removed. As shown in FIG. 3, the applicator disc 4 is not displaced, but rather remains adhered to the sealing disc 3 after cover 2 is removed. The applicator disc 4 remains on the sealing disc 3 during removal of the cover 2 by virtue of the fact that the diameter of the applicator disc is slightly smaller than the minimum diameter of the internal threads 7 of cover 2. Thus, during unscrewing of the cover the threads 7 do not engage and tend to displace the applicator disc 4. While the threads 7 do engage the edge portions of the sealing disc 3 during removal of the cover, the adhesive on the lip 16 prevents said disc from becoming unsealed. As shown in FIGURE 3, once the cover 2 is removed, the applicator disc 4 is readily accessible and can conveniently be removed manually from the sealing disc 3. Upon subsequent removal of the sealing disc 3 from the container, the contents of the container are accessible for use. The applicator disc 4, being preferably of dried compressed cellulose sponge material, is moistened after removal, and such moistening causes it to swell and become soft and pliable for use. After use the sponge may be rinsed and inserted into the container 1 where it is protected from contamination.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that this invention provides an improved package having a convenient applicator associated therewith which is readily accessible to the user upon opening of the package. It will also be apparent that the applicator of this invention does not become dislodged from the container by removal of the cover but rather is retained in its conveniently accessible position until manually removed therefrom.

Following is a description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, it being understood that numerous modifications and variations with respect to materals, sizes, shapes, and other details can be made in the illustrated embodiment within the scope of the invention.

In the illustrated embodiment a conventional 4 oz. glass container is filled with a medicated cleanser for treating acne. The applicator disc 4 is formed of a dry, White cellulose sponge commercially available from the Nylonge Corporation. The sponge 4 measures 53.5 mm. in diameter and is compressed to a thickness of 1.6 mm. When moistened it swells to a thickness of about 11.2 mm. The

container cover 2 is a conventional screw-on cap for a 4 oz. container and is made of a urea plastic material. This cap is commercially available from the Armstrong Cork Co. The cap threads 7 have a minimum or inside diameter of 55.0 mm. and a depth of 0.9 mm.

Since the diameter of the applicator sponge 4 is 1.5 mm. less than the inside diameter of the cap threads 7, the cap threads are spaced sufiiciently from the periphery of the applicator sponge so that the latter does not become dislodged when the cap is removed.

The illustrated moisture impermeable sealing disc 3 is a laminated material comprising a paper backing coated with a plastic film and is commercially available under the name Safety Seal from Ferdinand Gutrnann & (30., Brooklyn, New York. To adhere the Safety Seal liner to the lip 10 of the container 1 a latex type glue is used which is commercially available from Ferdinand Gutmann & Co. under the name Filmaseal No. 26. The diameter of sheet material disc 3 is 55.5 mm., which is 0.5 mm. larger than the inside or minimum diameter of the cap threads 7, so that sheet material disc 3 engages the cap threads with sufiicient friction to retain both the applicator disc 4 and the sealing disc 3 within cover 2 prior to application of the cover sub-assembly to the container 1. A commercially available cold resin glue is used in the present embodiment to adhere the applicator sponge 4 to the sealing disc 3 so that the sponge will remain attached to the liner when the cover is removed from the container.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a container having a mouth portion terminating in an annular lip, a readily manually removable imperforate sheet material disc closing said mouth portion and sealingly adhered to said lip, an applicator disc overlaying said sheet material disc, means attaching said applicator to said sheet material disc, and generally cup-shaped cover removably mounted on said mouth portion and enclosing said sheet material and applicator discs.

2. In combination, a container having a tubular mouth portion terminating in an annular lip, a generally cupshaped cover for said container removably mounted on said mouth portion, a readily manually removable imperforate sheet material disc closing said mouth portion and sealingly adhered about its peripheral portion to said lip, an applicator disc overlaying said sheet material disc and having a loose fit centrally within said cover, and means attaching said applicator disc to said material disc and operative to prevent displacement of said applicator disc by removal of said cover from said container.

3. In combination, a container having an externally threaded tubular mouth portion terminating in an annular lip, an internally threaded generally cup-shaped cover for said container, said cover being threaded on said mouth portion, a sheet material disc closing said mouth portion and sealingly adhered about its peripheral portion to said lip, an applicator disc consisting of a dried compressed sponge overlying said sheet material disc and having a loose fit centrally within said cover, and means attaching said applicator disc to said sheet material disc and operative to prevent displacement of said applicator disc by removal of said cover from said container.

4. A cover assembly for application to a container having a mouth portion terminating in an annular lip, comprising a cup-shaped cover having transverse and tubular side wall portions, an applicator disc positioned generally coaxially of and having a loose fit within said cover, an imperforate sheet material disc in laminate relation to said applicator disc and located on the side of said applicator disc opposite said transverse wall portion, said sheet material disc having a diameter to engage inner surface portions of said side wall portions with sutficient friction to retain both of said discs in their respective positions within said cover, said sheet material disc also having a continuous circular peripheral surface portion adapted for sealing engagement with the annular lip of a container mouth portion when said cover is applied thereto, and adhesive means readily manually removably attaching said applicator disc to said sheet material disc.

5. A cover assembly for application to a container having a mouth portion terminating in an annular lip, comprising a cup-shaped cover having transverse and tubular side wall portions, an applicator disc positioned generally coaxially of and having a loose fit within said cover, an imperforate moisture-impermeable sheet material disc in laminate relation to said applicator disc and located on the side of said applicator disc opposite said transverse wall portion, said sheet material disc having a diameter to engage inner surface portions of said side wall portions with sufficient friction to retain both of said discs in their respective positions within said cover, said sheet material disc also having a continuous circular peripheral surface portion adapted for sealing engagement with the annular lip of a container mouth portion when said cover is applied thereto, and a quantity of adhesive readily manually removably adhering a central portion of said applicator to a central portion of said sheet material disc.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER HAVING A MOUTH PORTION TERMINATING IN AN ANNULAR LIP, A READILY MANUALLY REMOVABLE IMPERFORATE SHEET MATERIAL DISC CLOSING SAID MOUTH PORTION AND SEALINGLY ADHERED TO SAID LIP, AN APPLICATOR DISC OVERLAYING SAID SHEET MATERIAL DISC, MEANS ATTACHING SAID APPLICATOR TO SAID SHEET MATERIAL DISC, AND GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED COVER REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOUTH PORTION AND ENCLOSING SAID SHEET MATERIAL AND APPLICATOR DISCS. 